Briefly

Greiner to speak on WBFO Feb. 9
President William R. Greiner will speak to the campus community on Monday from 7-8 p.m. on WBFO-FM 88.7, UB's National Public Radio affiliate. Greiner will answer questions from listeners on the live call-in show, hosted by WBFO reporter Mike McKay. Call 829-6000 with your questions.

Professor invited to attend White House announcement
Gerald Sufrin, professor and chair of the Department of Urology, was called to the White House last Thursday to hear Vice President Al Gore and Donna Shalala, secretary of health and human services, announce a proposed 10-percent increase in funding for cancer research in the federal budget. Approximately 100 researchers and health-care professionals were invited to attend.

Sufrin, a specialist in prostate cancer, is chair of the American Urological Association's Research Committee and is active on the national scene with issues dealing with cancer of the prostate, one of the areas, along with breast and ovarian cancer, slated specifically for increased funding if the budget is approved.

The proposal also earmarks $750 million to cover the costs of Medicare recipients' participation in clinical trials.

Sufrin welcomed this development, noting that prostate cancer strikes primarily men over the age of 65, and currently only patients with private insurance can participate in clinical trials of potential new treatments.

The Buffalo Chips, UB's a capella ensemble, to give concert Feb. 14
The university's first and only all-male a capella ensemble, The Buffalo Chips, will give a performance Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. in Mainstage, Center for the Arts. The "Valentine's Day A Capella Extravaganza" is the group's third annual.

Founded in 1995 by two music-education majors, Michael Burrows and Erich Kraus, the Buffalo Chips sing a wide variety of tunes, from James Taylor to Steve Miller, Toto, Beck, Van Morrison and Third Eye Blind.

Now, with 17 members and under the direction of Burrows, Darrell Belch and with the advisement of music department faculty member Patricia O'Toole, The Chips perform many times each year. Concert tickets are $3 and are available at the CFA Box Office and all TicketMaster locations. For more information, call 645-ARTS.

State, county legislators seek student interns
Openings are available for qualified college interns in the offices of State Sen. Mary Lou Rath of the 60th Senatorial District and Barry A. Weinstein, 15th District Erie County legislator.

In Rath's office, interns' work includes research on legislation, office correspondence and constitutent casework. For more information or to apply, mail resumes to Sen. Mary Lou Rath, 5500 Main St., Suite 260, Williamsville, N.Y. 14221.

Weinstein is conducting interviews for internship positions. Flexible hours are available. To inquire about these internships, call 633-0617.

UB microbiologist receives ACS grant
Thomas E. Melendy, UB assistant professor of microbiology, has received a three-year, $330,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to identify specific proteins involved in cell replication.

Uncontrolled cell growth is the basis of all cancers. This grant will contribute to a better understanding of what causes cells to grow unchecked into harmful masses, rather than to differentiate normally and assume useful functions in the body.

"For cells to proliferate, they must first replicate their DNA," Melendy said. "The goal of our research is to identify hitherto unknown cellular factors and protein-protein interactions involved in the early stages of human and viral DNA replication."

Karen Fien, postdoctoral assistant in the UB Department of Microbiology, also is participating in the research.

Urban planner named Clarkson Visiting Chair
The School of Architecture and Planning will host design critic and acclaimed urban and regional planner Robert D. Yaro as the school's 1998 William and Elisabeth Clarkson Visiting Chair.

Yaro will deliver a lecture, titled "Metropolitan Planning in a New Century," at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 in 105 Harriman Hall, South Campus, as part of the school's Spring 1998 lecture series. The lecture will be free and open to the public.

Yaro serves as the executive director of Regional Plan Association (RPA), America's oldest and most distinguished independent metropolitan research and advocacy group. In 1996, he co-authored the plan's final report, "A Region at Risk," which outlined strategies required to sustain the competitiveness, environmental quality and social equity of the New York City region through investments in transportation, communities, education, government reform and the environment.

He also co-authored "Dealing with Change in the Connecticut River Valley," which described innovative land-use, planning and visual-simulation techniques and received awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Planning Association.

Yaro has led or participated in urban and regional planning initiatives in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Japan, Canada and the Caribbean, as well as the U.S. He co-founded the U.S.-U.K. Countryside Stewardship Exchange and the U.S.-Japan Metropolitan Planning Exchange.

Yaro serves as design critic at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and as adjunct professor of urban planning at Columbia University. He is on the board of directors of the Institute for Urban Design and the National Growth Management Institute.

SILS to offer matching grants for ALA minority scholarships
The School of Information and Library Studies has announced that it will match up to four $5,000 minority scholarships offered by the American Library Association (ALA) for the 1998-99 academic year.

The ALA annually offers 50 $5,000 Spectrum Scholarships to encourage and assist members of under-represented minority groups to pursue careers in library and information studies.

To be eligible for the UB matching grants, a student must be a member of one of the following groups: African American, African Canadian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic or Native People of the U.S. and Canada.

He or she must be accepted into UB's master of library studies program and receive an ALA Spectrum Scholarship. UB will then provide an additional $5,000 to match the ALA scholarship for the first four Spectrum Scholarship winners to apply to its library school.

Completed application for the 1998-99 ALA Spectrum Scholarships must be received no later than April 1. Applications can be obtained from the ALA or from the SILS office, 534 Baldy Hall, North Campus. For further information, call that office at 645-2412.

Want to be student speaker for '98 University Commencement?
The University Commencement Committee has announced the criteria for selection of a student representative to address graduates at the 152nd University Commencement scheduled for 10 a.m. May 17 in Alumni Arena.

A student speaker was first incorporated into the ceremony in 1991 and has been well received by graduates and their guests. The competition for a commencement speaker is open to all graduating seniors in the faculties of Arts and Letters, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences, as well as those completing Special and Individualized Majors.

Nicolas D. Goodman, vice provost for undergraduate education, will chair a selection committee comprised of faculty, staff and student representatives.

Seniors who wish to be considered must submit a written version of their speech to Goodman. Each of three finalists will present his/her address before the committee. The winning speech will be presented by the student at the University Commencement.

Speeches should be no longer than six minutes. Selection will be based on relevancy, appropriateness of content and delivery.

Entries must be submitted by April 2 to the Student Speaker Selection Committee, c/o Nicholas D. Goodman, vice provost for undergraduate education, 255 Capen Hall, North Campus, 645-2991.

Exhibit to explore use of electronic media in architecture
"Simultaneous Spaces," an installation by Shadi Nazarian, assistant professor in the Department of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Planning, will be on display through Feb. 13 in the James Dyett Gallery in Hayes Hall on the South Campus. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

A reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday in the gallery.
The exhibit, which will feature experiments in architecture with electronic media, will "provide an environment for examining the interrelationships between conventionally perceived space and virtual space through multimedia, multifaceted installations," according to Nazarian.

Nazarian taught architecture courses and studios at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning before joining the UB faculty in 1994. She also is a partner in Studio for Architecture, a private practice engaging in architectural projects. She holds a master's degree in architectural design from Cornell and bachelor's degrees in architecture and environmental design from the University of Minnesota.

CFA to present "Arnold's Favorite Field Trip" on Feb. 20
The Center for the Arts will present Scholastic's The Magic School Bus-Live! and its production, "Arnold's Favorite Field Trip," on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The musical production is based on the award-winning PBS television series and the best-selling books by Joanne Cole and Bruce Degen.

What starts out as an ordinary field trip turns into an adventure. As the bus' "puckerbrating retroflater" malfunctions and Arnold accidentally activates the "shrinkerscope," the class is shrunk to the size of Popsicles-before the audience's eyes.

With an original score and a live cast, the Magic School Bus comes alive in a 65-minute stage performance packed with music, learning and audience participation.

Tickets ($14 for adults, $10 for children age 12 and under) are available at the CFA Box Office and all TicketMaster locations.

Emeritus Center to hear Barbara Howe
New York State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Howe, adjunct associate professor of sociology, will speak at 2 p.m. on Feb. 10 in the Emeritus Center, 102 Goodyear Hall, South Lounge, on the South Campus. The subject of her talk at the group's monthly meeting will be "Victims' Rights." Robert E. Hunt will preside at the session.

Business-planning workshops offered
A workshop to help entrepreneurs and business managers to develop and improve their business plans is being offered by the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the School of Management.

Sessions will be held Tuesday evenings, from 6 to 8 p.m., March 3 through April 14 on the North Campus.

Philip R. Perry, associate professor of finance, and Edward W. Hutton, CPA, managing director of Strategic Finance, Inc., will be instructors. For more information, call 645-3000.

UB community invited to join Institute on Women and Gender
Members of the university community are invited to join the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender (IREWG).

According to Margaret Acara, co-director of IREWG, invitations are being sent to all faculty and staff by campus mail. It will be a few weeks before the invitations reach everyone. Prospective members will be asked to return a questionnaire indicating their research interests.

The questionnaire will form the nucleus of a member database to match members with complementary interests to develop new courses and initiate research projects, according to Acara.

The institute will co-sponsor several lectures during the spring semester, along with a Celebration of Women's Scholarship on April 17. The focus of the celebration is the impact of the inclusion of women as subjects and teachers in academic disciplines, said Isabel Marcus, IREWG co-director. Scholars from all disciplines at the university will participate.

The institute, founded last fall, reports to the Office of the Provost. The institute has a presence on both North and South campuses. On the South Campus, it is in 261 Harriman and on the North Campus, it will be in 522 O'Brian. For more information, call 829-3451.

Zodiaque Dance Company to perform new works
The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the Zodiaque Dance Company in Concert for a series of performances of all-new works during the month of February. Performances are scheduled for Feb. 12-14 and 19-21 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. in the Drama Theatre, Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Directed by Linda Swiniuch, the dance company is in its 24th year of producing some of the most elegant and original choreography in the region. The dance pieces range from modern to ballet to jazz, with music ranging from Monk to Sanchez. Choreographers include Tom Ralabate, Karen Georger, William Thomas, Tressa Gorman Crehan, Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, Eileen Lambert, Joyce Miller and Linda Swiniuch.

The Zodiaque Dance Company, long a staple in the Western New York dance community, has alumni who have gone on to professional careers in performance, choreography, directing, teaching and arts administration, including Broadway, major dance companies, Disney and regional arts organizations.

Tickets ($10, general admission; $5, students with ID; $7, groups of 8 or more) are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office and all TicketMaster locations.

District "College Bowl" award returns to UB
Students from the Niagara/Western Ontario District of Region 2 of the Association of College Unions-International (ACUI) have retained the title of district champions of the "varsity sport of the mind."

The students competed in November against member participants from other public and private colleges and universities throughout New York and Ontario at Monroe Community College, 1997 host of the region's annual conference. Albert Ermanovics, associate director of Student Life and the region's district representative, accepted the "College Bowl" award for the second year.

Link, Lisinski scholarships available
The Buffalo AFL-CIO Council has announced a $1,000 college scholarship in memory of Floyd F. Lisinski, for high school seniors who are sons and daughters of affiliated members. The scholarship will be based on academic achievement, financial need, extra-curricular activities, guidance counselor recommendation and a student essay.

For an application and more information, contact the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council, 295 Main St., Suite 532, Buffalo, N.Y. 14203 or call 852-0375. The application deadline is March 21.

The application deadline for the 1998-99 Eugene P. Link Scholarships, offered by United University Professions, has been extended to March 16. The Link Scholarships are given annually to up to four State University of New York undergraduates dedicated to the goals of the trade and labor union movement. Students must exhibit a quest for academic and personal excellence-a minimum grade point average of 3.75 is required-and have a strong record of community service.

Applications for Link Scholarships are available at the UUP campus chapter office, 105 Porter Quad, Ellicott Complex. Or, students may call the chapter office at 645-2013. Applications also may be picked up at the campus financial aid office. If they are unavailable, call 1-800-342-4206, ext. 418 to request an application.

Dates changed for lectures on Russia, Germany and Ukraine
Some dates have been changed for the lecture series, "Russia, Germany and Ukraine in World War II." The lectures will be free and open to the public. Four of the talks will be on Fridays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in 532 Park Hall, North Campus. New lecture dates are:

-- Feb. 6-"The War in Ukraine: An Overview of the Major Events and Controversies," Stephen Velychenko, UB
-- Feb. 20-"National Identity and Political Loyalties of Ukrainians under Nazi Rule," Karol Berkhoff, University of Toronto
-- March 20-"Caught in the Middle: Ukrainian Refugees between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.," Marta Dyczok, Oxford University
-- March 27-"The Poles and the Jews," Peter Wrobel, University of Toronto
One lecture will be presented in Ukrainian on April 3 from 6-7 p.m. in the Ukrainian National Home, 562 Genesee St., Buffalo: "German Army and SS Archives on Nationalist and Communist Partisans in Ukraine," Alexander Prusin, University of Toronto.

For more information, call Stephen Velychenko at 645-2181.

Sending Letters to the Reporter
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